Cap insert with internal compartment

ABSTRACT

An insert having a compartment that can be secured into a cap of a container is disclosed. The compartment can be used to store a humectant, desicant, or other material, which can be used to help preserve the contents of the container, such a food product or a pharmaceutical. The insert has a main body, a sidewall that surrounds the main body and extends upwards to define the compartment. A flange extends outwardly from the top of the sidewall that engages with the inner surface of the cap. The insert can be comprised of a resilient material to allow it to deform to fit within the cap and to secure it within the cap.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to containers having caps that are used for storage of goods. More particularly, the disclosure relates to an insert having a compartment that is removably secured within the cap.

BACKGROUND

There is often a need when storing a product in a container, that the internal environmental conditions of the container are maintained to preserve the product. A common example of this a pharmaceutical that should be stored at low humidity to avoid absorption of moisture by the pharmaceutical product. This low humidity can be maintained by including a desiccant with the pharmaceutical products within the container. Other internal environmental conditions can include a specific relative humidity range, oxygen concentration, odor control, among other conditions.

These environmental conditions within the container can be controlled using other environmental control products within the container. These control products can contain chemicals or other substances that should not come into contact with the product stored in the container. These environmental control products can also expire and require replacement.

International Patent WO/2004/085279 to Mayor Lopez discloses a lid that is formed from a one-piece injection mould and includes a container that can hold a desiccant. Mayor Lopez does not provide for the container to be removed from the lid or how the container could be reloaded with a new desiccant. European Patent Publication No. EP1222116 describes a similar structure that includes a drying agent chamber that is moulded into the lid and a cover cap for the chamber.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,807 to Brunk describes a desiccant bottle cap that includes a bottle cap insert that snap fits into the cap structure. The bottle cap insert include a cap liner, a porous material attached to the bottle cap liner and a desiccant material that is sandwiched between the bottle cap liner and porous material. Brunk does not provide for removal or replacement of this desiccant bottle cap insert.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect, an insert for a cap of a container is disclosed. The insert can be inserted into a cap for a container. The insert has a main body; a sidewall surrounding the main body and extending upwards to define a compartment; and a flange extending outwardly from a top of the sidewall to engage an inner surface of the cap. The insert can be made from resilient material to allow the insert to deform to place the insert within the cap and to bias the flange against the inner surface of the cap to secure the insert within the cap. The main body, the sidewall, and/or the flange can be composed of resilient material. The resilient material can be a plastic, such as, for example, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), or high-density polyethylene (HDPE).

In some aspects the main body defines apertures to allow communication between the compartment and the container. The apertures can vary in size and shape can can be round, square, and rectangular, for example. The compartment can be used to contain a satchel having a humectant, a desiccant, an oxygen absorber, or an odor absorber, for example. The main body can be shaped to receive the satchel, and can be round, square, or rectangular. The main body can be flat, concave, or convex

The flange can extend from the sidewall to provide clearance for mating threads on the cap and a neck of the container. In some caps, there can be a lip on the inner surface to support a liner and the flange can fit between the lip and the liner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the various embodiments described herein and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings which show at least one exemplary embodiment, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a is a perspective view of a cap insert that can be secured within a cap of a container;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cap insert of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the cap insert of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cap insert about line A-A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a cap insert with a square main body and sidewall;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a cap insert with a square main body and a flange having square-shaped top profile;

FIG. 7A is a partial sectional view of an overcap of a childproof cap;

FIG. 7B is a partial section view of an innercap of a childproof cap;

FIG. 7C is a top view of the overcap of FIG. 5A; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a cap insert secured within a cap for a container.

DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, this description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein in any way, but rather as merely describing the implementations of various embodiments described herein.

Although some embodiments may explicitly refer to caps and containers for pharmaceutical use or those with childproof caps, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that teachings described herein may be applied generally to any types of caps or containers, regardless of the intended use or whether it includes a child-proofing mechanism.

Reference is first made to FIGS. 1-4, that illustrate an insert 100 that can be secured into a cap for a container. The insert 100 has a main body 110 with a sidewall 120 that surrounds main body 110 and a flange 130 that extends outwardly from a top portion of the sidewall 120. The flange 130 is designed to engage an inner wall of the cap of the container so that insert 100 forms a compartment 140 between an upper surface of main body 110, an inner surface of sidewall 120 and the upper interior surface of the cap.

Preferably, the main body 110 defines a number of apertures through its surface to allow communication (e.g. air flow) between the compartment 140 and the contents of the container when inserted into the cap and placed on the container. For example, the compartment 140 can be used to hold a humectant, such as those sold by Boveda Inc. of Minnetonka, Minn., in order to retain the contents of the container at a proper relative humidity. A humectant can be used with insert in containers storing food product, herbal medicine, tobacco, medicinal cannabis, pet food, or any other product that require a specific relative humidity. The compartment can also be used to hold a desiccant to keep the contents of the container dry, such as for storing pharmaceuticals or dried goods, including food. Other applications can include holding an oxygen scavenger or odor absorbing sachet for improved storage.

The main body 110 is sized to allow the insert 100 to placed into the cap of the container without interfering with the cap fastening mechanism. The flange 130 extends from the sidewall 120 to provide this clearance. For example, the neck of the container and inner surface of the cap can have mating threads that require a certain clearance from the insert 100 so as not to interfere. This clearance is provided between an end 132 of the flange 130 and the sidewall 120. The surface of the main body 110 can be flat (as shown), convex, or concave.

Reference is next made to FIG. 5, an insert 200 is illustrated in a top plan view having a square-shaped main body 210 with a sidewall 220 extending therefrom. Insert 200 illustrates that main body 210 can have a variety of shapes so long as flange 230 can secure the insert 200 within the cap. The flange 230 has a circumferential outer edge 232 that allows it to engage with the inner surface of the cap.

An alternate embodiment 300 is illustrated in FIG. 6 having a square-shaped edge 332 of the flange 330 that extends from a square-shaped main body 310. This embodiment can be used with a square-shaped cap or a round shaped cap. It is not necessary for the entirety of edge 332 to be in contact with the inner surface of the cap (i.e. the four corners of the flange 330 can maintain insert 300 within a round cap. Humectant and desiccant satchels tend to have a square or rectangular shape and it may be preferably for main body 310 to be shaped to accommodate the satchel to prevent it from moving or potentially rupturing.

The apertures should be sized to maintain separation of the contents of the compartment 140 and that of the container. The embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 have apertures comprised of small round holes and the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 5-6 have apertures comprised of thin, elongated ellipses. Other embodiments could use apertures having other shapes, such as long, thin rectangular apertures. In other embodiments, the apertures can be formed in a grid pattern. In some embodiments, apertures can also be defined within sidewall 120.

Preferably, the insert 100 is comprised of a resilient material that allows the insert 100 to deform slightly to allow the flange 130 to fit within the cap. Preferably, the resilient material is a type of plastic that is food-safe and can be injection molded for easy manufacture. Possible examples include polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), or high-density polyethylene (HDPE).

Once inserted into the cap, the resiliency of the material can bias the insert 100 to secure it within the cap. The edge 132 of the flange 130 will be biased against the inner surface of the cap. The insert 100 can be placed into the cap by aligning the flange 130 with the cap and pushing the insert into the cap. The flange 130 will deform to allow it to move over any threading within the inner surface of the cap. In some embodiments, only the flange 130 may be deformable, such as by having a decreased thickness or being comprised of a resilient material. In other embodiments, the entire insert 100 can be formed by a resilient material, such as silicone, for example, to allow it to deform to be inserted within the cap.

Some container caps include a lip on the inner surface of the cap that is used to retain a liner (see FIG. 7B, for example). The liner is typically a round piece of cardstock, compressible material, such as foam, or other material, and sometimes the liner has a reflective bottom surface. The liner can assist with the seal between the cap and the neck of the container. Typically, there is enough clearance between the lip in the cap and the liner to allow the flange 130 to be retained above the lip (and below the liner). This can allow insert 100 to click or snap into the proper position when the flange 130 deforms over the lip.

Reference is next made to FIGS. 7A-C which illustrates a childproof cap 700 that can be used with the embodiments of the cap insert described herein. The childproof cap 700 has an overcap 710 that fits over an innercap 720. To operate childproof cap 700, a user must press down on the overcap 710 so that overcap teeth 712 engage with innercap teeth 722 to allow rotation of the overcap 710 to cause rotation of the innercap 720 about the neck of the container. The innercap 720 has internal threads 724 that mate with complementary threads on the neck of the container.

The innercap 720 also has a lip 726 that can be used to retain a liner, as described above. The lip 726 is provided between the internal threads 724 and a bottom surface 728 of the innercap 720. The innercap 720 provides sufficient clearance between the lip 726 and the bottom surface 728 of the innercap 720 to receive the flange 130 of the insert 100. The lip 726 can also serve to retain the flange 130 in position to secure the insert 100 within the childproof cap 700.

Childproof cap 700 is provided as an example of one type of cap that the insert 100 can be secured within, but insert 100 can also function with other types of caps, either with or without a child-proofing mechanism, or with or without a lip.

Reference is next made to FIG. 8, which illustrates an insert 800 secured within a cap 850. The flange 830 is secured against the inner circumferential surface of the cap 850 and can abut the inner bottom surface of the cap. The main body 810 and the sidewall 820 form an enclosed compartment against the inner bottom surface of the cap. Insert 800 is deformable, and preferably resilient, to allow it to be removed and a product to be placed within the compartment and then reinserted into the cap 850. The length of the flange 830 provides sufficient clearance between the sidewall 820 and the inner circumferential surface of the cap 850 to receive the neck of the container. The cap 850 can mate with the neck of the container in any number of known ways, such as by having mating threading, a snap-fit, etc.

While the exemplary embodiments have been described herein, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. The invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, and scope of the claims is to be accorded an interpretation that encompasses all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions. 

1. An insert for insertion into a cap for a container, the cap having an inner surface, the insert comprising: a main body; a sidewall surrounding the main body and extending upwards to define a compartment; and a flange extending outwardly from a top of the sidewall to engage the inner surface of the cap.
 2. The insert of claim 1, the insert comprised of resilient material to allow the insert to deform to place the insert within the cap and to bias the flange against the inner surface of the cap to secure the insert within the cap.
 3. The insert of claim 2, wherein any one or more of the main body, the sidewall, and the flange are comprised of resilient material.
 4. The insert claim 2, wherein the insert is comprised of plastic and the plastic is any one of polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), or high-density polyethylene (HDPE).
 5. The insert of claim 1, wherein the main body defines apertures to allow communication between the compartment and the container.
 6. The insert of claim 4, wherein the apertures are any one of round, square, and rectangular.
 7. The insert of claim 4, wherein the compartment contains a satchel having any one of a humectant, a desiccant, an oxygen absorber, and an odor absorber.
 8. The insert of claim 1, wherein the flange extends from the sidewall to provide clearance to mating threads on the cap and a neck of the container.
 9. The insert of claim 1, wherein the cap has a lip on the inner surface to support a liner and the flange fits between the lip and the liner.
 10. The insert of claim 1, wherein the shape of the main body is any one of a round, square, and rectangular.
 11. The insert of claim 1, wherein the main body is any one of flat, concave, and convex. 